MILLS, David Calder
(Service number 6/1155)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 30/11/1893 | Place of Birth | Green Island, Otago |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 19 August 1914 | Age | 20 years. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | 2 Thomas Street, Temuka, NZ | ||
| Occupation | Student | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | David Calder Mills, 2 Thomas Street, Temuka, NZ. | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
| Date | 16 October 1914 | ||
| Transport | Tahiti or Athenic | ||
| Embarked From | Lyttelton, Canterbury, NZ. | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Infantry Battalion. | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 10 August 1915 | Age | 21 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Gallipoli, Turkey | ||
| Cause | Died of wounds. | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Embarkation Pier Cemetery, Turkey | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | On Memorial wall, Timaru; Temuka RSA Roll of Honour; Temuka War Memorial, and Ashburton War Memorial | ||
Biographical Notes
David Calder Mills was was born to parents David Calder Mills (Snr) and Margaret (nee McKinnon) on 30 November 1893. David (Snr) & Margaret had married in 1887 and the couple children included: John, Robert McKinnon, Mary McMillan, David Calder, Jane Calder, Douglas, Winifred, Smart, and James Fergus. David (Snr) appeared in NZ Electoral Rolls for 1905-06, 1911, 1914 and 1919, being listed as a labourer in Temuka. Initially his address was given as 2 Wilmhurst street, then 2 Thomas Street. By 1928 his occupation changed to being ‘Farmer’. Margaret died in 1923, followed by her husband David (Snr) in 1932. Both are buried in Temuka Cemetery.
David Calder Mills (Jnr) attended Waitati School, Otago. When his parents came to Temuka, David Calder was admitted to Temuka School on 9 June 1902. His last day there was 26 July 1907.
At the outbreak of the war David Calder Mills, single and a Presbyterian, enlisted on 19 Aug. 1914). His occupation was noted as ’Student’, with Canterbury Education Board. He was said to be well known in Ashburton and had been a Pupil Teacher at Hampstead School. His Medical Boarding recorded his physical description as 5ft 7in tall, fair complexion, with grey eyes and light brown hair. Private Mills, serial no.6/1155, embarked from Lyttleton on 16 October 1914, with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion, on the Tahiti or Athenic, bound for Suez in Egypt.
According to his personnel file, Mills was wounded in action at the Dardanelles, Gallipoli, on 10 August 1915. He died the same day.
Mills is remembered at Embarkation Pier Cemetery, Turkey. In NZ he is remembered on the Cenotaph on Queen Street, Timaru, as well as on the Temuka War Memorial, the Temuka RSA honours board, and on the Ashburton War Memorial.
David Mills' field service uniform tunic is part of the Canterbury Regiment Association Collection, held by Canterbury Museum, Christchurch (catalogue# EC186.2.59)
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [Accessed October 2014]; NZSG – School Records; NZ Archives – Personnel Record; CWGC; Assorted records form Ancestry.com incl: NZ WW1 Roll of Honour, Deceased Estates 1880-1950, NZ WW1 Nominal Rolls, NZ Electoral Rolls, Scotland Select Marriages 1561-1910, Select Scotland 1564-1950, 1841 Scotland Census; NZ BDM’s; PapersPast; Family Search – NZ Archives Passenger Lists; Timaru District Council – Cemetery database; Dunedin City Council – cemetery database; NZ History; SCRoll web submission from J Queree, 24 February 2015
External Links
Related Documents
- South Canterbury Herald 24 Dec 2014 - David Calder MILLS (pdf, 3.9 MB updated 14-Jan-2015)
- Diary, David Calder MILLS - original transcript (sample page) - Courtesy of Grant Davey (pdf, 3.9 MB updated 17-Apr-2015)
- Diary, David Calder MILLS - Egypt & Gallipoli, 1915 - transcript. Courtesy of rant Davey (pdf, 295.8 KB updated 17-Apr-2015)
Researched and Written by
Lesly Tennent, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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